The present invention relates generally to durable medical equipment and, more particularly, to a mechanism for moving a vehicular wheelchair-restraining device back and forth from a stowed position in a vehicle to an engaged position capable of securing a wheelchair to the floor of the vehicle.
Mechanisms for securing a wheelchair to the floor of a vehicle are known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,364 to Constantin, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The wheelchair restraint of the ""364 patent is capable of coupling a wheelchair to the floor of a motor vehicle, while still allowing the wheelchair 360 degrees rotational freedom. A commercially available prior art device capable of so coupling a wheelchair to the floor of a motor vehicle is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the prior art wheelchair restraint 1xe2x80x2 includes a housing 2xe2x80x2 with flanges 3xe2x80x2 for bolting the restraint 1xe2x80x2 to a vehicle floor. FIG. 2 illustrates the interior workings of the prior art wheelchair restraint 1xe2x80x2, including a solenoid 4xe2x80x2 for actuating the release of the locking members 5xe2x80x2 and 6xe2x80x2. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,364, locking members 5xe2x80x2 and 6xe2x80x2 are adapted to rotate open upon pressure from an advancing engaging member (not shown) connected to a wheelchair. A spring 7xe2x80x2 is provided to assist in the smooth motion of locking members 5xe2x80x2 and 6xe2x80x2. Other similar devices are known which likewise secure a wheelchair to the floor of a vehicle.
One disadvantage shared by prior art wheelchair lockdown devices is that they are permanently fastened to the vehicle floor, making it difficult for a wheelchair passenger or attendant to maneuver a wheelchair around them upon entry and/or egress of the vehicle. The stationary nature of the known prior art devices also makes it difficult to quickly adapt the vehicle for use by others not requiring a wheelchair.
Another disadvantage of prior art vehicular-mounted wheelchair restraining devices is that they are designed to be approached from the rear interior of the vehicle (i.e. the wheelchair is presumed to enter the vehicle from a rear or side rear door.) When such a device is used to anchor a wheelchair at the driver""s position, the restraining device is in the way of a wheelchair passenger entering the vehicle from the driver""s side door via a lift or other means, restricting vehicular ingress/egress. The wheelchair passenger must either run his chair over the restraining device or face the difficult task of navigating around the restraining device in very tight quarters.
Yet another disadvantage common to many of the prior art vehicular wheelchair restraining devices is that they present a traffic obstacle to passengers entering and exiting the vehicle by wheelchair or by foot. The prior art devices are bulky and are located directly in the path of passenger traffic. People entering and/or exiting the vehicle on foot may be slowed while navigating around the prior art devices, while people entering and/or exiting by wheelchair run the risk of getting their wheelchairs hung up on the prior art devices.
There is therefore a need for a wheelchair restraining device that may be stored out of the way of foot and wheelchair traffic during the loading and unloading of the vehicle and selectively deployed into operating position when a wheelchair passenger is aboard the vehicle and desires to lock down his wheelchair. The present invention is directed toward meeting this need.
One embodiment of the present invention relates to an unobtrusive mechanism for moving a wheelchair restraining device back and forth from a recessed, stored position near the firewall of a passenger vehicle to a deployed position wherein the wheelchair restraining device may engage a wheelchair and prevent it from engaging in uncontrolled movement about the vehicle.